LASER toys used to blind aircraft pilots

Powerful green laser pointers the size of a pen are easily available to
everybody in the world on the Internet, and hundreds sell on eBay at
prices as cheap as $5:-


eBay USA/International:
http://search.ebay.com/green-laser-pointer

eBay UK:
http://search.ebay.co.uk/green-laser-pointer


A 5mW beam has a range of two miles, while a 15 mW beam will blind a
person 20 miles away, and 45 mW lasers are available on the Internet.
Much more powerful lasers are available, but these are more expensive
and larger than a pen or pointer.


If a basic 5mW green laser is pointed at an aircraft, the beam can
light-up the cockpit and blind the pilot with a dazzling flash:-

According to federal authorities, there have been about 400
reported instances of hand-held lasers being aimed at aircraft since
the early 1990s.
But the number of incidents is rising, partly because the
battery-powered devices can be bought for as little as $5, and also
because new green lasers have become more popular than red, as they
travel much farther -- as far as two miles.
"You're in an airplane, you're on final approach and suddenly you
can't see," said Dan Kidder, a spokesman for the National Air
Transportation Association, a trade group. "You can't see your
instruments. You can't see your runway. There's the potential for a
major accident."
Source: Washington Times, "Laser hits on U.S. aircraft on the
rise", 27 January 2005.
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20050127-095624-5666r.htm


It happens to planes all the time, all over the world:-

WASHINGTON (AP) - Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said
Wednesday there have been 400 reports of lasers being beamed at
airplanes since 1990 and the Federal Aviation Administration will now
require pilots to immediately report such incidents to air traffic
controllers, who will be required to notify law enforcement officials.
The lasers can temporarily blind pilots. A cluster of incidents
received wide attention between Christmas and New Year's Day.
Authorities believe copycats who have heard news reports about the
lasers apparently have been involved in some of the more recent
incidents.
Source: USA Today, "More reports of lasers being shot into airplane
cockpits", 13 January 2005.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-01-11-laser-aircraft_x.htm


Initially the authorities wanted to blame terrorists -- even al-Qaida:-

The warning came as British pilots expressed concern about
increasing cases of lasers being aimed at cockpits by pranksters on
airport perimeters.
Source: The Scotsman, "Terrorists could use laser beams to blind
pilots, US officials warn", 11 December 2005.
http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1416162004


It sounded like a coordinated attack using advanced technology:

"What we're talking about is a fairly powerful visible light laser
that has the ability to lock onto a fast-moving aircraft," Thompson
said. "That's not the sort of thing you pick up at a military surplus
store."
Source: CBS News, "Feds Probe Lasers Aimed At Planes", 30 December
2004.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/01/terror/main664220.shtml


But the US military has now admitted shining lasers at aircraft as part
of a secret programme:

A day after the Department of Transportation urged pilots to report
hazardous laser beams aimed at aircraft, the U.S. military said it is
testing a system to beam red and green lasers at aircraft in the
Washington area as a warning when they enter restricted airspace.
Source: Washington Post, "Military Tests Lasers To Warn Off
Aircraft", 14 Jnauary 2005.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7708-2005Jan13.html


And anybody can buy a laser pointer:-

A string of incidents around the country involving laser beams
aimed at aircraft aren't linked to terrorism and are more likely the
work of mischief makers, the FBI said Sunday.
Source: USA Today, "FBI: No terror link in lasers aimed at
aircraft", 3 January 2005.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-01-02-lasers-fbi_x.htm


Amature and professional astronomers, even kids playing games,
regularly point lasers into the sky:-

To astronomers, the new breed of hand-held laser pointer is a way
to write in the sky, its two-mile-long beam allowing them to trace
constellations and point out individual stars. To a lost hiker, the
laser is a lifeline to a search and rescue team overhead. To a "Star
Wars" fan, it is a prop for playing a lightsaber-wielding Jedi knight.
But to a pilot in a darkened cockpit, the pointer's bright green
beam could be something very different -- a disorienting and even
blinding blast of color.
Source: Washington Post, "Laser Pointer Abuse Threatens Air
Safety", 27 January 2005.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39961-2005Jan26.html


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Reproduced from this original web page:
http://www.theinsider.org/mailing/article.asp?id=0872